Posted on 09/12/2008 5:12:09 AM PDT by NautiNurse
Large and dangerous Hurricane Ike approaching the Upper Texas coast. Mandatory evacuations began in earnest Thursday as an estimated one million coastal residents headed inland. There were widespread reports of gas stations running out of fuel.
The National Weather Service posted dire storm surge predictions of 20-25 ft storm surge along the coast and bay heads. Hurricane warnings covered a 400 mile swath of the Gulf of Mexico.
Wholesale gasoline prices spiked 30 percent Thursday, or nearly $1 a gallon, out of fear of what Ike might do.
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Discussion Updated every 6 hours
Buoy data: Western Gulf of Mexico
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| Category | Wind Speed | Barometric Pressure | Storm Surge | Damage Potential |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Depression |
< 39 mph < 34 kts |
Minimal | ||
| Tropical Storm |
39 - 73 mph 34 - 63 kts |
Minimal | ||
| Hurricane 1 (Weak) |
74 - 95 mph 64 - 82 kts |
28.94" or more 980.02 mb or more |
4.0' - 5.0' 1.2 m - 1.5 m |
Minimal damage to vegetation |
| Hurricane 2 (Moderate) |
96 - 110 mph 83 - 95 kts |
28.50" - 28.93" 965.12 mb - 979.68 mb |
6.0' - 8.0' 1.8 m - 2.4 m |
Moderate damage to houses |
| Hurricane 3 (Strong) |
111 - 130 mph 96 - 112 kts |
27.91" - 28.49" 945.14 mb - 964.78 mb |
9.0' - 12.0' 2.7 m - 3.7 m |
Extensive damage to small buildings |
| Hurricane 4 (Very strong) |
131 - 155 mph 113 - 135 kts |
27.17" - 27.90" 920.08 mb - 944.80 mb |
13.0' - 18.0' 3.9 m - 5.5 m |
Extreme structural damage |
| Hurricane 5 (Devastating) |
Greater than 155 mph Greater than 135 kts |
Less than 27.17" Less than 920.08 mb |
Greater than 18.0' Greater than 5.5m |
Catastrophic building failures possible |
Previous Threads:
Hurricane Ike Live Thread II
Hurricane Ike Live Thread I
TS Hanna, Hurricane Ike & TS Josephine [Other than that, the tropics are calm]
Tropical Storms Hanna, Ike and Josephine, TD Gustav (Other than that, the tropics are calm)
The Disaster Relief Utility trucks that normally come from the surrounding states will most likely be busy at "home".
What a mess.
sw
No..I missed that. She must have a screw loose. A wooden victorian structure would be the first to go!
Wonder if she is the same one that refused to go during Rita?
We are a little concerned about the wind expected here in the early morning hours...and we are in Central Texas!
Last time our electricity went out, it was 4 days before they got it up and running.
I, on the other hand, am operating on 2 hours sleep--and loving my peace of mind.
We are probably going to have some wind in College Station but we will be on the clean side-- home will be on the dirty side.
Ike, from the Int’l Space Station. Prayers continue.
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.rss.html?pid=29170
Well, looks like we have a NEW thread (again). :)And HERE is a Satellite Image of this Big Boy!!
It is now a Category 2, expected to be a Cat 3 by landfall ...
“OK” as in “not dead.” The NWS statement yesterday about what might happen on Galveston Island was one of the most lurid things I’ve ever seen...Weather Service stuff is normally very dry, so when they use the words “certain death” in an advisory, you KNOW it’s bad.
}:-)4
nah, we headed out yesterday morning after they called us for mandatory evac. We are in mississippi. watching from afar...
We had no power for three weeks after Charley. Then one week on and a second week off again thanks to one of the other three that hit that summer.
Thanks!
Wow - that is an awesome picture.
1. Until about noon yesterday, the track of this could have taken this storm anywhere along about 2/3 of the TX coast. Calling for mandatory evacs of that whole area would have been ridiculous.
2. Gas prices now on the commodities market are up $0.11 today... this is hardly expected to be a massive event nationally.
Scary .. fills the Gulf.
Here is a simulation of a 20’ storm surge for Galveston, TX.
NOT GOOD!
http://3dnature.com/anim/Galveston_TX-20ft-high.mp4
My Friendswood cousin's husband is/was in Chicago for a convention. I hope he got home.
All FReepers and family in the path of this storm are in my prayers—good luck to you all and may you get through it without injury or property damage.
God have mercy. Any resident still
there is truly irrational. Must go now.
And here are the Computer Models for Ike!
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